able, she hoped, to drink a dish of tea with me, and would then thank me herself.

I am very proud of this condescension; and think it looks not amiss for you, as I am your avowed friend. Methinks I want fully to remove from her mind all doubts of you in this last villainous action; and who knows then what your noble relations may be able to do for you with her, if you hold your mind? For your servant acquainted me with their having actually engaged Miss Howe in their and your favour, before this cursed affair happened. And I desire the particulars of all from yourself, that I may the better know how to serve you.

She has two handsome apartments, a bedchamber and dining-room, with light closets in each. She has already a nurse, (the people of the house having but one maid,) a woman, whose care, diligence, and honesty, Mrs Smith highly commends. She has likewise the benefit of the voluntary attendance, and love, as it seems, of a widow gentlewoman, Mrs Lovick her name, who lodges over her apartment, and of whom she seems very fond, having found something in her, she thinks, resembling the qualities of her worthy Mrs Norton.

About seven o'clock this morning, it seems, the lady was so ill, that she yielded to their desires to have an apothecary sent for-not the fellow, thou mayest believe, she had had before at Rowland's, but one Mr Goddard, a man of skill and eminence, and of conscience too; demonstrated as well by general character, as by his prescriptions to this lady; for, pronouncing her case to be grief, he ordered, for the present, only innocent juleps, by way of cordial; and, as soon as her stomach should be able to bear it, light kitchen-diet; telling Mrs Lovick, that that, with air, moderate exercise, and cheerful company, would do her more good than all the medicines in his shop.

This has given me, as it seems it has the lady, (who also praises his modest behaviour, paternal looks, and genteel address,) a very good opinion of the man; and I design to make myself acquainted with him, and, if he advises to call in a doctor, to wish him, for the fair patient's sake, more than the physician's, (who wants not practice,) my worthy friend Dr H-, whose character is above all exception, as his humanity, I am sure, will distinguish him to the lady. Mrs Lovick gratified me with an account of a letter she had written from the lady's mouth to Miss Howe, she being unable to write herself with steadiness.

It was to this effect; in answer, it seems, to her two letters, whatever were the contents of them :

"That she had been involved in a dreadful calamity, which she was sure, when known, would exempt her from the effects of her friendly displeasure, for not answering her first, having been put under an arrest Could she have

believed it? That she was released but the day before; and was now so weak and so low, that she was obliged to get a widow gentlewoman in the same house to account thus for her silence to her Miss Howe's] two letters of the 13th and 16th; that she would, as soon as able, answer them-begged of her, meantime, not to be uneasy for her; since (only that this was a calamity which came upon her when she was far from being well, a load laid upon the shoulders of a poor wretch, ready to sink under too heavy a burden) it was nothing to the evil she had before suffered; and one felicity seemed likely to issue from it; which was, that she would be at rest, in an honest house, with considerate and kind-hearted people: having assurance given her that she should not be molested by the wretch, whom it would be death for her to see; so that now she [Miss Howe] needed not to send to her by private and expensive conveyances; nor need she write by a fictitious name to her, but by her own."

You see I am in a way to oblige you; you see how much she depends upon my engaging for your forbearing to intrude yourself into her company; let not your flaming impatience destroy all; and make me look like a villain to a lady who has reason to suspect every man she sees so. Upon this condition, you may expect all the services that can flow from true friendship, and from

Your sincere well-wisher,
J. BELFORD.

LETTER CCXLV.

MR BELFORD TO ROBERT LOVELACE, ESQ.

Tuesday Night, July 18.

I AM just come from the lady. I was admitted into the dining-room, where she was sitting in an elbow-chair, in a very weak and low way. She made an effort to stand up when I entered, but was forced to keep her seat. You'll excuse me, Mr Belford; I ought to rise to thank you for all your kindness to me. I was to blame to be so loath to leave that sad place; for I am in heaven here, to what I was there; and good people about me too!-I have not had good people about me for a long, long time before; so that [with a half-smile] I had begun to wonder whither they were all gone.

Her nurse and Mrs Smith, who were present, took occasion to retire; and, when we were alone, You seem to be a person of humanity, sir, said she; you hinted, as I was leaving my prison, that you were not a stranger to my sad story. If you know it truly, you must know that I have been most barbarously treated; and have not deserved it at the man's hands by whom I have suffered.

I told her I knew enough to be convinced that

she had the merit of a saint, and the purity of an angel; and was proceeding, when she said, No flighty compliments! no undue attributes, sir!

I offered to plead for my sincerity; and mentioned the word politeness; and would have distinguished between that and flattery. Nothing can be polite, said she, that is not just; whatever I may have had, I have now no vanity to gratify.

I disclaimed all intentions of compliment; all I had said, and what I should say, was, and should be, the effect of sincere veneration. My unhappy friend's account of her had entitled her to that.

I then mentioned your grief, your penitence, your resolutions of making her all the amends that were possible now to be made her; and in the most earnest manner, I asserted your innocence as to the last villainous outrage.

Her answer was to this effect-It is painful to me to think of him. The amends you talk of cannot be made. This last violence you speak of is nothing to what preceded it. That cannot be atoned for, nor palliated; this may; and I shall not be sorry to be convinced that he cannot be guilty of so very low a wickedness.-Yet, after his vile forgeries of hands-after his baseness in imposing upon me the most infamous persons as ladies of honour of his own family -what are the iniquities he is not capable of?

I would then have given her an account of the trial you stood with your friends; your own previous resolutions of marriage, had she honoured you with the requested four words; all your family's earnestness to have the honour of her alliance; and the application of your two cousins to Miss Howe, by general consent, for that young lady's interest with her; but, having just touched upon these topics, she cut me short, saying, that was a cause before another tribunal; Miss Howe's letters to her were upon that subject; and she would write her thoughts to her as soon as she was able.

I then attempted more particularly to clear you of having any hand in the vile Sinclair's officious arrest; a point she had the generosity to wish you cleared of; and, having mentioned the outrageous letter you had written to me on this occasion, she asked, If I had that letter about me?

I owned I had.

She wished to see it.

This puzzled me horribly; for you must needs think that most of the free things, which, among us rakes, pass for wit and spirit, must be shocking stuff to the ears or eyes of persons of delicacy of that sex ; and then such an air of levity runs through thy most serious letters; such a false bravery, endeavouring to carry off ludi

crously the subjects that most affect thee; that those letters are generally the least fit to be seen, which ought to be most to thy credit.

Something like this I observed to her; and would fain have excused myself from shewing it; but she was so earnest, that I undertook to read some parts of it, resolving to omit the most exceptionable.

I know thou'lt curse me for that; but I thought it better to oblige her than to be suspected myself; and so not have it in my power to serve thee with her, when so good a foundation was laid for it, and when she knows as bad of thee as I can tell her.

Thou rememberest the contents, I suppose, of thy furious letter. Her remarks upon the different parts of it, which I read to her, were to the following effect:

Upon the two first lines, All undone! undone, by Jupiter! Zounds, Jack, what shall I do now? a curse upon all my plots and contrivances! thus she expressed herself:

"O how light, how unaffected with the sense of its own crimes, is the heart that could dictate to the pen this libertine froth!"

The paragraph which mentions the vile arrest affected her a good deal.

In the next I omitted thy curse upon thy relations, whom thou wert gallanting; and read on the seven subsequent paragraphs, down to thy execrable wish, which was too shocking to read to her. What I read, produced the following reflections from her :

"The plots and contrivances which he curses, and the exultings of the wicked wretches on finding me out, shew me that all his guilt was premeditated; nor doubt I that his dreadful perjuries, and inhuman arts, as he went along, were to pass for fine stratagems; for witty sport; and to demonstrate a superiority of inventive talents!

O my cruel, cruel brother! had it not been for thee, I had not been thrown upon so pernicious and so despicable a plotter !-But proceed, sir; pray, proceed."

At that part, Canst thou, O fatal prognosticator! tell me where my punishment will end? she sighed. And when I came to that sentence, praying for my reformation, perhaps-Is that there? said she, sighing again. Wretched man!-and shed a tear for thee.-By my faith, Lovelace, I believe she hates thee not! she has at least a concern, a generous concern for thy future happiness. What a noble creature hast thou injured!

She made a very severe reflection upon me, on reading these words-On your knees, for me, beg her pardon-" You had all your lessons, sir, said she, when you came to redeem me-You was so condescending as to kneel; I thought it was the effect of your own humanity, and goodnatured earnestness to serve me-excuse me, sir,

I knew not that it was in consequence of a prescribed lesson."

This concerned me not a little; I could not bear to be thought such a wretched puppet, such a Joseph Leman, such a Tomlinson. I endeavoured, therefore, with some warmth, to clear myself of this reflection; and she again asked my excuse: "I was avowedly," she said, "the friend of a man, whose friendship, she had reason to be sorry to say, was no credit to anybody." -And desired me to proceed.

I did; but fared not much better afterwards; for, on that passage where you say, I had always been her friend and advocate, this was her unanswerable remark: "I find, sir, by this expression, that he had always designs against me; and that you all along knew that he had. Would to Heaven, you had had the goodness to have contrived some way, that might not have endangered your own safety, to give me notice of his baseness, since you approved not of it! But you gentlemen, I suppose, had rather see an innocent fellow-creature ruined, than be thought capable of an action, which, however generous, might be likely to loosen the bands of a wicked friendship!"

After this severe, but just, reflection, I would have avoided reading the following, although I had, unawares, begun the sentence, (but she held me to it :) What would I now give, had I permitted you to have been a successful advocate! And this was her remark upon it-"So, sir, you see, if you had been the happy means of preventing the evils designed me, you would have had your friend's thanks for it when he came to his consideration. This satisfaction, I am persuaded, every one, in the long run, will enjoy, who has the virtue to withstand or prevent a wicked purpose. I was obliged, I see, to your kind wishes-but it was a point of honour with you to keep his secret; the more indispensable with you, perhaps, the viler the secret. Yet permit me to wish, Mr Belford, that you were capable of relishing the pleasures that arise to a benevolent mind from VIRTUOUS friendship!-none other is worthy of the sacred name. You seem a humane man: I hope, for your own sake, you will one day experience the difference; and, when you do, think of Miss Howe and Clarissa Harlowe, (I find you know much of my sad story,) who were the happiest creatures on earth in each other's friendship till this friend of yours"-And there she stopped, and turned from me.

Where thou callest thyself a villainous plotter; "To take crime to himself, said she, without shame; O what a hardened wretch is this man!"

On that passage, where thou sayest, Let me know how she has been treated; if roughly, woe be to the guilty! this was her remark, with an air of indignation: "What a man is your friend, sir !-Is such a one as he to set himself up to

VOL. VII.

punish the guilty?-All the rough usage I could receive from them, was infinitely less"-And there she stopt a moment or two; then proceeding-" And who shall punish him? what an assuming wretch!-Nobody but himself is entitled to injure the innocent ;-he is, I suppose, on the earth, to act the part which the malignant fiend is supposed to act below-dealing out punishments, at his pleasure, to every inferior instrument of mischief!"

What, thought I, have I been doing! I shall have this savage fellow think I have been playing him booty, in reading part of his letter to this sagacious lady!-Yet, if thou art angry, it can only, in reason, be at thyself; for who would think I might not communicate to her some of the least exceptionable parts of a letter (as a proof of thy sincerity in exculpating thyself from a criminal charge) which thou wrotest to thy friend, to convince him of thy innocence? But a bad heart, and a bad cause, are confounded things; and so let us put it to its proper ac

count.

I passed over thy charge to me, to curse them by the hour, and thy names of dragon and serpents, though so applicable; since, had I read them, thou must have been supposed to know from the first what creatures they were; vile fellow as thou wert, for bringing so much purity among them! And I closed with thy own concluding paragraph, A line! a line! a kingdom for a line! &c. However, telling her (since she saw that I omitted some sentences) that there were farther vehemences in it; but, as they were better fitted to shew to me the sincerity of the writer than for so delicate an ear as hers to hear, I chose to pass them over.

You have read enough, said she-he is a wicked, wicked man!-I see he intended to have me in his power at any rate; and I have no doubt of what his purposes were, by what his actions have been. You know his vile Tomlinson, I suppose-You know-but what signifies talking ?-Never was there such a premeditated false heart in man, [nothing can be truer, thought I!] What has he not vowed! what has he not invented! and all for what?—Only to ruin a poor young creature, whom he ought to have protected; and whom he had first deprived of all other protection!

She arose and turned from me, her handkerchief at her eyes; and, after a pause, came towards me again" I hope, said she, I talk to a man who has a better heart; and I thank you, sir, for all your kind, though ineffectual pleas in my favour formerly, whether the motives for them were compassion, or principle, or both. That they were ineffectual, might very probably be owing to your want of earnestness; and that, as you might think, to my want of merit. Í might not, in your eye, deserve to be saved!— I might appear to you a giddy creature, who had run away from her true and natural friends; 2 H

and who, therefore, ought to take the consequence of the lot she had drawn."

I was afraid, for thy sake, to let her know how very earnest I had been; but assured her that I had been her zealous friend, and that my motives were founded upon a merit, that, I believed, was never equalled; that, however indefensible Mr Lovelace was, he had always done justice to her virtue; that to a full conviction of her untainted honour it was owing that he so earnestly desired to call so inestimable a jewel hisand was proceeding, when she again cut me short

Enough, and too much, of this subject, sir! -If he will never more let me behold his face, that is all I have now to ask of him.-Indeed, indeed, clasping her hands, I never will, if I can, by any means not criminally desperate, avoid it.

What could I say for thee?-There was no room, however, at that time, to touch this string again, for fear of bringing upon myself a prohibition, not only of the subject, but of ever attending her again.

I gave some distant intimations of moneymatters. I should have told thee, that, when I read to her that passage, where thou biddest me force what sums upon her I can get her to take -she repeated, No, no, no, no! several times with great quickness; and I durst no more than just intimate it again-and that so darkly, as left her room to seem not to understand me.

Indeed I know not the person, man or woman, I should be so much afraid of disobliging, or incurring a censure from, as from her. She has so much true dignity in her manner, without pride or arrogance, (which, in those who have either, one is tempted to mortify,) such a piercing eye, yet softened so sweetly with rays of benignity, that she commands all one's reverence.

Methinks I have a kind of holy love for this angel of a woman; and it is matter of astonishment to me, that thou couldst converse with her a quarter of an hour together, and hold thy devilish purposes.

Guarded as she was, by piety, prudence, virtue, dignity, family, fortune, and a purity of heart that never woman before her boasted, what a real devil must he be (yet I doubt I shall make thee proud!) who could resolve to break through so many fences!

For my own part, I am more and more sensible that I ought not to have contented myself with representing against, and expostulating with thee upon, thy base intentions; and, indeed, I had it in my head, more than once, to try to do something for her. But, wretch that I was! I was withheld by notions of false honour, as she justly reproached me, because of thy own voluntary communications to me of thy purposes; and then, as she was brought into such a cursed house, and was so watched by thyself, as well as by thy infernal agents, I thought (knowing my man!) that I should only accelerate the intend

ed mischiefs.-Moreover, finding thee so much overawed by her virtue, that thou hadst not, at thy first carrying her thither, the courage to attempt her; and that she had, more than once, without knowing thy base views, obliged thee to abandon them, and to resolve to do her justice, and thyself honour, I hardly doubted that her merit would be triumphant at last.

It is my opinion, (if thou holdest thy purposes to marry,) that thou canst not do better than to procure thy real aunts, and thy real cousins, to pay her a visit, and to be thy advocates. But, if they decline personal visits, letters from them, and from my Lord M., supported by Miss Howe's interest, may, perhaps, effect something in thy favour.

But these are only my hopes, founded on what I wish for thy sake. The lady, I really think, would choose death rather than thee; and the two women are of opinion, though they know not half of what she has suffered, that her heart is actually broken.

At taking my leave, I tendered my best services to her, and besought her to permit me frequently to inquire after her health.

She made me no answer, but by bowing her head.

LETTER CCXLVII.

MR BELFORD TO ROBERT LOVELACE, ESQ.

Wednesday, July 19.

THIS morning I took chair to Smith's; and, being told that the lady had a very bad night, but was up, I sent for her worthy apothecary; who, on his coming to me, approving of my proposal of calling in Dr H., I bid the woman acquaint her with the designed visit.

It seems she was at first displeased; yet withdrew her objection: but, after a pause, asked them, What she should do? She had effects of value, some of which she intended, as soon as she could, to turn into money, but, till then, had not a single guinea to give the doctor for his fee.

Mrs Lovick said, she had five guineas by her; they were at her service.

She would accept of three, she said, if she would take that (pulling a diamond ring from her finger) till she repaid her; but on no other

terms.

Having been told I was below with Mr Goddard, she desired to speak one word with me, before she saw the doctor.

She was sitting in an elbow-chair, leaning her head on a pillow; Mrs Smith and the widow on each side her chair; her nurse, with a phial of hartshorn, behind her; in her own hand her salts.

Raising her head at my entrance, she inquired if the doctor knew Mr Lovelace.

Was the doctor my friend?

He was; and a very worthy and skilful man. I named him for his eminence in his profession; and Mr Goddard said he knew not a better phy

sician.

I have but one condition to make before I see the gentleman; that he refuses not his fees from me. If I am poor, sir, I am proud. I will not be under obligation, you may believe, sir, I will not. I suffer this visit, because I would not appear ungrateful to the few friends I have left, nor obstinate to such of my relations, as may some time hence, for their private satisfaction, inquire after my behaviour in my sick hours. So, sir, you know the condition. And don't let me be vexed. I am very ill! and cannot debate the

matter.

Seeing her so determined, I told her, if it must be so, it should.

Then, sir, the gentleman may come. But I shall not be able to answer many questions. Nurse, you can tell him at the window there what a night I have had, and how I have been for two days past. And Mr Goddard, if he be here, can let him know what I have taken. Pray let me be as little questioned as possible.

The doctor paid his respects to her with the gentlemanly address for which he is noted; and she cast up her sweet eyes to him with that benignity which accompanies her every graceful look.

I would have retired; but she forbid it. He took her hand, the lily not of so beautiful a white: Indeed, madam, you are very low, said he; but give me leave to say, that you can do more for yourself than all the faculty can do

for you.

He then withdrew to the window. And, after a short conference with the women, he turned to me, and to Mr Goddard, at the other window: We can do nothing here, (speaking low,) but by cordials and nourishment. What friends has the lady? She seems to be a person of condition; and, ill as she is, a very fine woman.— A single lady, I presume?

I whisperingly told him she was. That there were extraordinary circumstances in her case; as I would have apprized him, had I met with him yesterday; that her friends were very cruel to her; but that she could not hear them named without reproaching herself; though they were much more to blame than she.

I knew I was right, said the doctor. A lovecase, Mr Goddard! a love-case, Mr Belford! there is one person in the world who can do her more service than all the faculty.

Mr Goddard said he had apprehended her disorder was in her mind; and had treated her accordingly; and then told the doctor what he had done; which he approving of, again taking

you will require very little of our assistance. You must, in a great measure, be your own doctress. Come, dear madam, forgive me the familiar tenderness; your aspect commands love, as well as reverence; and a father of children, some of them older than yourself, may be excused for his familiar address, cheer up your spirits. Resolve to do all in your power to be well; and you'll soon grow better.

You are very kind, sir, said she. I will take whatever you direct. My spirits have been hurried. I shall be better, I believe, before I am worse. The care of my good friends here, looking at the women, shall not meet with an ungrateful return.

The doctor wrote. He would fain have declined his fee. As her malady, he said, was rather to be relieved by the soothings of a friend, than by the prescriptions of a physician, he should think himself greatly honoured to be admitted rather to advise her in the one character, than to prescribe to her in the other.

She answered, That she should be always glad to see so humane a man; that his visits would keep her in charity with his sex; but that, were she to forget that he was her physician, she might be apt to abate of the confidence in his skill, which might be necessary to effect the amendment that was the end of his visits.

And, when he urged her still farther, which he did in a very polite manner, and as passing by the door two or three times a-day, she said she should always have pleasure in considering him in the kind light he offered himself to her; that that might be very generous in one person to offer, which would be as ungenerous in another to accept; that, indeed, she was not at present high in circumstance; and he saw by the tender, (which he must accept of,) that she had greater respect to her own convenience than to his merit, or than to the pleasure she should take in his visits.

We all withdrew together; and the doctor and Mr Goddard having a great curiosity to know something more of her story, at the motion of the latter we went into a neighbouring coffee-house, and I gave them, in confidence, a brief relation of it; making all as light for you as I could; and yet you'll suppose, that, in order to do but common justice to the lady's character, heavy must be that light.

Three o'clock, Afternoon.

I JUST now called again at Smith's; and am told she is somewhat better; which she attributed to the soothings of her doctor. She expressed herself highly pleased with both gentlemen; and said that their behaviour to her was perfectly paternal

Paternal, poor lady!never having been, till very lately, from under her parents' wings,